Chris Letcher

Chris Letcher is a South African composer, singer-songwriter and musician whose career has successfully bridged the worlds of alternative music, film and academia. Originally from Durban, Letcher first came to prominence in the mid-1990s as guitarist, vocalist and principal songwriter for the acclaimed rock band Urban Creep. Formed in 1994, the group quickly became one of South Africa's most respected alternative acts, producing the celebrated albums Sea Level and Tightroper, while singles such as Slow Thighs enjoyed commercial success and helped define the country's post-apartheid rock movement.

While still performing with Urban Creep, Letcher formed the acclaimed acoustic partnership Van der Want/Letcher alongside fellow songwriter Matthew van der Want. Their albums Low Riding (1998) and Bignity (2002) blended intelligent lyricism, humour and sophisticated arrangements, earning South African Music Award nominations and establishing the pair as one of the country's most distinctive songwriting collaborations. They have continued to reunite for special performances over the years, remaining favourites among discerning South African music audiences.

Following his move to the United Kingdom, Letcher developed an equally impressive solo career, releasing critically acclaimed albums including Frieze, Harmonium, Spectroscope and Hyperbalist. Both Frieze and Spectroscope were recognised among the finest South African albums of their era, with Spectroscope widely celebrated as one of the country's standout releases of 2011.

Today, Letcher is internationally recognised for his work as a film and television composer. His scores have accompanied productions including Elelwani, Hard to Get, The Challenger Disaster, Women in Love, The Cane Field Killing and the hugely successful Kandasamys film series. His score for Sink earned him a South African Film and Television Award in 2017, while The Story of Racheltjie de Beer won him a second SAFTA for Best Feature Film Score, cementing his reputation as one of South Africa's leading screen composers. Alongside his creative work, Letcher holds a doctorate in music composition and lectures in screen music composition, continuing to influence a new generation of composers through both his teaching and his music.